PHOENIX, Arizona, August 26. WE have more information today on the decision to reinstate swimmer Albert Subirats to competition after FINA had initially given him a one-year suspension for not showing up to three drug tests.
According to a statement by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the Venezuelan Swimming Federation was at fault not only for forgetting to send FINA information on Subirats’ whereabouts several times over the past year, but also did not notify Subirats of his missed drug tests until the third occurrence earlier this year. Subirats had requested that all pertinent information regarding out-of-competition drug testing be sent to him through the Venezuelan Swimming Federation. Because Subirats was not aware of the missed drug tests until it was too late, FINA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport decided to not hold him liable for missing the drug tests.
It appears that Subirats isn’t totally out of the woods. The Court of Arbitration for Sport’s statement mentions that only his second and third missed drug tests were wiped from his record, meaning he still has one strike against him.
Watch today’s episode of Streamlined News.